Gaborone - Following are some key facts about Botswana, the world's biggest producer of diamonds. -- Botswana has a population of 1.85 million people living in an area roughly the size of France or Texas.
-- Botswana was a British protectorate between 1884 and 1966, when it was known as Bechuanaland.
-- Botswana is a multi-party democracy with an executive president. General elections are held every five years. The National Assembly elects the president.
-- The current President Ian Khama is the son of the country's first president, Sir Seretse Khama.
-- 84 per cent of the landlocked country is covered by the Kalahari Desert.
-- At independence in 1966, the country was one of the poorest in the world. Thanks to diamonds, it is now a middle-income nation.
-- Diamonds were discovered in Botswana in 1967.
-- Debswana's Jwaneng mine in north-central Botswana is the richest in the world.
-- About 43 per cent of the population is younger than 15 years of age
-- Botswana has the second-highest rate of HIV infections in the world, after Swaziland, with 24 per cent of people infected with the deadly virus. Life-prolonging treatment is available in most parts of the country free of charge.
